MLB's First-Year Player Draft starts today at 2pm, and finishes up tomorrow. Even if the process isn't all flash and craziness like the NFL Draft (or even the NBA Draft), the results of the draft are always interesting to pick through.
Courtesy of the club's World Championship, the Sox will pick 30th out of 30 in the first round. Courtesy of Eric Gagne, the Sox will then get a sandwich round pick (#45 overall). The Sox also pick at #77 (second round), #85 (third round), #108 (third round), and then last in each of rounds 4-50. Yes, FIFTY.
The Rays have already announced they will take Tim Beckham, a high school shortstop out of Georgia, with their #1 overall pick. Most commentators project that when the draft reaches Boston at #30, they'll select Lance Lynn (right-handed pitcher) from the University of Mississippi. Which would make for some epic rivalry contests with Mississippi State alum Jonathan Papelbon.
The most productive draft for the Red Sox in recent history was, of course, the 2005 draft- which yielded Jacoby Ellsbury, Craig Hansen, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Michael Bowden. The Red Sox director of Amateur Scouting spoke with NESN earlier this week about how things went down that year- and the inner workings of that draft are interesting to look back on.
video courtesy of NESN
If anyone wants to discuss the draft as it goes on today and tomorrow, you can feel free to use this as a kind of open thread.
on June 5, 2008 2:49 PM
SHORT-STOP. SHORT-STOP. SHORT-STOP. (come on people, say it with me...)